Swimming more than 1,510 feet (460 meters) below the surface of the Gulf of Mexico, Ampelisca mississippiana is a recently identified species of a class of small crustaceans called amphipods.

Less than two-tenths of an inch (6 millimeters), this sea bug lives in groups of up to 12,000 individuals per 11 square feet (1 square meter) of ocean floor. Because it literally "carpets" the sea bottom, researchers believe it has significant effects on marine ecology.